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Do Black Soldier Fly Larvae need a way out of my composting bin?
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Posted by alicepalace23 (My Page) on Fri, Jun 26, 09 at 13:00
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Hi. I am a new composter, and discovered BSF larvae in my composting bin today. I spent some time reading about them online and now understand they are beneficial... but also learned that the mature larvae need to leave the bin when they become pupae. I don't think the larvae will be able to exit my bin, is this a problem? Thanks for your help.
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RE: Do Black Soldier Fly Larvae need a way out of my composting b
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| No, it's not a problem. It may be a problem for the BSFL, but it's not a problem for you. |
RE: Do Black Soldier Fly Larvae need a way out of my composting b
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There is nothing beneficial about the Black Soldier Fly or its larva, any more than the common house fly or its larva is beneficial. The only reason the adult Black Soldier Fly exists is to find another of the opposite sex to mate and lay eggs that become the larva that consume decaying waste so they can become adult flies and do all that again. At one time some people mistook the adult Black soldier Fly for the Black Soldier Beetle which is a beneficial insect and is a predator. Some research can be found that will tell you that the larva of the BSF will do a really good job of reducing (consuming) a pile of manure and they do that, consume that manure, leaving less behind.
The presence of the larva of the Black soldier Fly in your compost is not a good thing. |
RE: Do Black Soldier Fly Larvae need a way out of my composting b
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- Posted by dsfoxx 8b When does the ne (My Page) on
Fri, Jul 3, 09 at 22:58
| Whether they're beneficial or not depends on your point of view--if the goal is to get rid of food waste, they may be your new best friends. If you're trying to maximize the amount of compost you generate, get rid of them; they eat too much. If you have a small bit of kitchen waste and a whole bunch of dried leaves, they can be useful. And so on. -G- If you decide you want to keep a BSFL colony (in your compost or apart from it), you will need to provide escape facilities. Yes. Mostly. In a dry-ish bin with some headroom, some BSF pupae can reach adulthood. Which is a little startling, opening a bin to find what looks like a wasp just sitting there, but assuming it's outdoors, it's not really a problem. But mature BSFL that can't reach a dry enough space for that will just give up and die. And dead, wet BSFL STINK! Trust me on this. DSF
http://bokashislope.blogspot.com
...and there was rejoicing in the tower, for the wriggle had survived the heat! |
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